A Front alternative with WhatsApp and AI on the entry plan
Front is a popular shared inbox, but WhatsApp and omnichannel sit on its higher plans. If you want a Front alternative for a small team, this page compares the two using Front's official pricing page and says when Front remains the right choice.
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Kora Reply vs Front at a glance
Front: A help desk sold per seat, with omnichannel and WhatsApp from the Professional plan. Kora Reply is a help desk for teams of up to 12 people: one shared inbox for email, live chat and WhatsApp, tickets with response targets, saved replies, a public knowledge base and an AI agent that hands off with a summary. Competitor prices below are list prices from Front's official pricing page, checked Oct 2026; they change often, so follow the source links before you decide.
| Topic | Kora Reply | Front |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Per user on Starter, one flat price on Team. A pooled monthly AI quota is included in every plan; no fee per resolution.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | Per seat per month. AI Autopilot and Copilot are add-ons.front.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
| Free plan | Free: up to 2 users, 100 conversations and 50 AI agent conversations a month, 1 email inbox and 1 live chat widget.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | No free plan. A 14-day trial with Professional features, no credit card.front.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
| Entry paid plan | Starter: $12 per user/month, up to 6 users. Email, live chat, public knowledge base, AI agent (300 AI conversations a month) and WhatsApp (beta).korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | Starter: $25 per seat/month billed annually, $35 billed monthly. Up to 10 seats, one channel type, basic public knowledge base.front.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
| Plan with live chat, help center and AI agent | Starter already includes email, live chat, the public knowledge base and the AI agent. Team: $79/month flat for up to 12 users.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | Professional: $65 per seat/month billed annually, $85 billed monthly. Omnichannel, customizable knowledge base, up to 50 seats.front.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
| AI agent pricing | Included quota: 50 (Free), 300 (Starter), 1,500 (Team) AI conversations a month. Extra packs: $10 per 500. Counted once per conversation the AI answers, whether it resolves it or hands off.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | Autopilot add-on "starting at $0.05 per conversation" through sales. Copilot is a $20 per seat/month add-on on Starter and Professional.front.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
| Starter and Team, in beta: connect your own WhatsApp Business number through the official Cloud API; Meta's fees are paid to Meta.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | Professional and Enterprise only, as a native add-on billed at Meta rates plus a 20% admin fee.front.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 | |
| Trial | No trial clock: the Free plan stays free. Paid plans are set up with the team over WhatsApp.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | 14 days with Professional features, no credit card.front.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
Competitor prices are list prices from each vendor's official pricing page, for the plan and billing period named, checked Oct 2026. Promotions and discounts may apply. Spotted an outdated fact? Email hello@korareply.com and we will correct it.
Front shared inbox, help center and ticketing vs Kora Reply
Front Starter covers up to 10 seats with one channel type, a basic public knowledge base and 10 rules, at $25 per seat per month billed annually or $35 monthly. Professional ($65 annual, $85 monthly) adds omnichannel, a customizable knowledge base and up to 5 workspaces (front.com/pricing, checked Oct 2026).
Kora Reply keeps the shared inbox, the ticketing system and the help center in one plan: email, live chat and WhatsApp (beta) on Starter, tickets with status, priority, owner and response targets, and a public knowledge base the AI agent reads. It does not offer multiple workspaces, rules engines or Smart QA, which Front does on its higher plans.
Why small teams choose Kora Reply over Front
- WhatsApp is on Kora Reply Starter (beta), with Meta's fees paid to Meta and no admin fee on top; Front offers it on Professional and Enterprise at Meta rates plus 20%.
- Several channels on the entry plan, where Front Starter allows one channel type.
- An AI agent quota included in the plan instead of an Autopilot add-on through sales.
- A Free plan for up to 2 users; Front has a 14-day trial and no free plan.
Where Front is stronger
- Up to 5 workspaces and up to 50 seats on Professional.
- Enterprise includes a multi-language knowledge base, Copilot, Smart QA and CSAT.
- AI Autopilot is quoted from $0.05 per conversation, a low starting rate for high volume (through sales).
When to choose Front instead
A fair comparison should say when the other tool wins. Choose Front if:
- You need several separate workspaces (up to 5 on Front Professional).
- You need a multi-language knowledge base, Smart QA or CSAT inside the same tool (Front Enterprise).
- You have more than 12 people on the support desk.
What Kora Reply does not do yet
- No phone or voice channel.
- No SSO, multibrand or HIPAA program.
- No skills-based or round-robin routing yet; tickets are assigned by people.
- Reports and CSAT surveys are still on the roadmap.
- A new product: no public reviews or long track record yet.
- Plans stop at 12 users; bigger teams are better served elsewhere.
Switching from Front to Kora Reply
There is no automatic importer yet, so moving is a fresh start rather than a migration. For a small team that usually takes an afternoon:
- Create a Kora Reply workspace on the Free plan and invite your teammates.
- Forward your support email address to Kora Reply so new messages arrive as tickets, and keep Front open for conversations already in progress.
- Recreate your most-used saved replies and copy your top help articles into the knowledge base.
- Set response targets for each priority on your business hours.
- Add the live chat widget to your site, then turn on the AI agent once the articles are in.
Frequently asked questions
If you want email, live chat and WhatsApp in one inbox with an AI agent and a public knowledge base for up to 12 people, Kora Reply is built for that. If you need several workspaces, Smart QA or more than 12 seats, Front fits better.
Front offers WhatsApp on Professional and Enterprise as a native add-on billed at Meta rates plus a 20% admin fee (front.com/pricing, checked Oct 2026).
No. Front offers a 14-day trial with Professional features and no credit card (checked Oct 2026). Kora Reply has a Free plan for up to 2 users.
Yes. Every plan includes a public knowledge base with search and helpful votes, and the AI agent answers from the same articles.
Stay if you depend on multiple workspaces, a rules engine, Smart QA and CSAT, a multi-language knowledge base, or if your team is larger than 12 people.
Try Kora Reply alongside Front
Start on the Free plan, forward a test address and see how your team works in one shared inbox before you move anything.